Airplane Wrongful Death Attorneys in Orlando, FL

Orlando, FL Wrongful Death Lawyers for Plane Accidents

Riding on a plane can be a great experience for many, while it can be a traumatizing time for others. There are many people who have a fear of flying and never go on an airplane. While planes may be a scary thought, it is safer to travel by airplane than it is by car. Although planes are safer, if an accident does occur on an airplane, it can cause tremendous destruction.

Not only can a plane cause harm to those on board, but it can also cause extensive damage to wherever the plane strikes. The airplane crew is supposed to ensure that everything is safe within the plane, while the maintenance crew must inspect the airplane before it takes off. Along with these parties, there are numerous individuals that can be the cause of an airplane accident. The Orlando attorneys who specialize with airplane wrongful death cases have helped devastated family members who lost their loved one on a plane.

Every employee involved with the function, operation, on-board assistance, and maintenance of the airplane have a duty of care to every passenger that boards the plane. When any of these individuals fail to adhere to the duty of care that they must provide all of their passengers, they could have the blame placed upon them.

How Do Airplane Accidents Take Place?

There are different factors that can lead to an accident. Some of those factors include:

Pilot Error: Pilot error accounts for more than half of all airplane accidents. A pilot is trained in their field to ensure that the plane leaves and reaches its destination intact. When an error is committed by a pilot, they could be found liable. Some of the common pilot mistakes include: landing with too much speed, navigating incorrectly, descending below the minima, piloting while under the influence, descending ahead of time, incorrect landing or taking off, not being vigilant of the fuel amount, and more.

Weather: Weather is tricky. It can suddenly change from one moment to the next. Before a flight takes off, those in charge of monitoring the weather have to ensure that there is no bad weather ahead. If they do not monitor the weather accordingly, they could be found responsible if the plane crashes. Additionally, a pilot should know what to do when they encounter bad weather. These are some weather disturbances that can take place: heavy rain, extreme winds, thunderstorms, turbulence, lack of visibility, or ice.

Mechanical: Although mechanical issues occur with less frequency than pilot errors, it still happens. When the airplane is not properly maintained or was poorly manufactured, mechanical failures can occur. Some of those mistakes include a flaw in the design of the plane, an error during the maintenance of the plane, a failure in the structure of the plane, a failure by an equipment in the plane, or an engine failure.

Sabotage: A great example of airplane accidents that was caused by sabotage is the attack of 9/11. Any intentional act done on a plane is known as sabotage like an explosive bomb on board, hijacking, or the airplane being shot down.

Other: This is any other reason why an airplane crash occurs. Some of those reasons include fire in an airplane, overloading of the airplane, error by the ground crew, objects in the runway, contamination of the fuel, and more.

Regardless of how the victim suffered a wrongful death, the family of the victim needs to learn what their legal options are.

Liable Parties For Airplane Accidents

Depending on how the accident took place. There are different parties that could be responsible for the accident. Some of those include:

The Pilot: An error by the pilot can create an accident. Passengers rely on the pilot to make it safe to their destination. Unfortunately, pilot’s are the cause of over 50% of all airplane accidents. Pilots must fly the plane accordingly and when a complication arises, they must act appropriately.

Controllers of air traffic: The controllers of air traffic are the one’s who direct airplanes to avoid delays, guide the pilot during landings and takeoffs, and monitor the traffic of airplanes flying through the sky. If an air traffic controller does their job poorly, they can be the cause of an accident. For example, an air traffic controller that does not see another plane in the way of another plane can be the reason why these two planes crash together.

Maintenance Crew: Before lift off, an airplane should be inspected to make sure that it has enough fuel, the equipment is functioning properly, among other things. If the airplane is not properly maintained, the maintenance crew in charge of the airplane can be held liable.

Manufacturers/Designers of the airplane: The manufacturer of the airplane can be found liable when they created a hazardous airplane by hazing a defective equipment installed inside of it. The designer can be found liable when they designed the airplane incorrectly. Both of these parties must ensure that they tested and inspected the airplane before selling it to their customers.

Statistics Concerning Airplane Accidents

Airplane crashes are very rare, but they still occur. Below is some data gathered about all the airplane incidents that have occurred:

12% of fatalities occur during the takeoff stage

8% of fatalities occur during the initial climb

25% of fatalities occur during landing

58% of all airplane accidents have been by the pilot’s error

17% of all airplane accidents have been caused by mechanical failure

6% of all airplane accidents have been caused by the weather condition

9% of all airplane accidents have been caused by sabotage

10% of all airplane accidents have been caused by other factors

Case Studies Involving Wrongful Death by Airplanes

Skydiving airplane

A skydiving plane crashed in 2012 which killed six passengers in Franklin county. The cause of the crash was a defective engine. A total of $48 million was awarded amongst the family members of the victims of the crash. Only five victims were included in the lawsuit, the six victims did not participate in the lawsuit.

Small Aircraft

The error of a pilot resulted in the death of a female passenger in 2010. The pilot failed to follow proper piloting procedures which caused the small airplane to crash. The personal representative of the female victim was awarded $3.9 million. The pilot survived the crash and the two other passengers were severely injured but survived.

American Airlines

In 1999, the pilot of an MD-82 airplane lost control of the aircraft. The airplane had 145 passengers, including the pilot and flight attendants. The pilot and ten passengers were killed, and many other were injured. The airplane was completely destroyed. The victims were awarded a total of $14 million.

Serving Victims of Wrongful Death While in an Airplane in Orlando, FL

There are many reasons a person goes on an airplane. They might have a business trip or simply vacationing. Regardless of the reason for which they are traveling, passengers who die as a result of either the pilots, maintenance crew, air traffic controllers, ground crew, or any other responsible party can have their family file a wrongful death lawsuit. Deaths occurring on airplanes due to negligence is the area of expertise of the lawyers at Percy Martinez Law Firm. The attorneys will review the victim’s case and establish whether there is a responsible party for their loved one’s death. They investigate every aspect of the accident and determine liability to form a solid case.

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I’ve never been a fan of lawyers, but I needed help because I was lost. I don’t really want to disclose what happened to me, but what I can say is that Percy helped me through it. He was so sensitive and great at what he did.